2011 Sendai Earthquake & Tsunami

[Bunkertor]

Kinda fun, they are able to rate the accident, yet, but don´t know if they are molten or what´s up with the other pressure tanks.

[RL3AO]

This is the only 6 in history.

"In September 1957 the cooling system in one of the tanks containing about 70–80 tons of radioactive waste failed, and the temperature in it started to rise, resulting in a non-nuclear explosion of the dried waste having a force estimated at about 70–100 tons of TNT, which threw the concrete lid, weighing 160 tons, into the air.[2] There were no immediate casualties as a result of the explosion, which released an estimated 2 to 50 MCi (74 to 1850 PBq ) of radioactivity.[1][3][4]"

Doesn't quite sound on the same level.

[cycloneye]

Canada's Prime Minister downplays any risk of radiation reaching the Canadian Pacific Coast.

From BBC:

2107: Canada's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, has downplayed the risk of radiation to people living on its Pacific Coast. "There is no evidence of a scenario that presents any risk to this country in terms of... radiation or nuclear fallout coming to Canada," he told reporters. Residents of the western province of British Columbia have been ignoring the advice of local health authorities and emptied pharmacies in Vancouver and Victoria of anti-radiation medicines such as potassium iodide, the AFP news agency reports.

[Bunkertor]

Section 4 is burning, roof down, Two workers are missing. ( Spiegel-on ).

( Geiger counters are sold out in Germany. The folks are stupid )

[brunota2003]

Here's an interesting pic (NOAA model runs)

http://twitpic.com/49nwjt

As for the reactors, are they built too closely together, so the heat from one is heating up more? Likely? No, but concrete and metal can be a pretty good conductor of heat.

Also, here is a news article about 50 volunteers who stayed behind in the plant to help keep it cool...they are unofficially being dubbed the "Fukushima 50" by some.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookou ... in-tragedy

[cycloneye]

Official Death Toll Rises to 3,373

From BBC:

2341: The official death toll from Friday's earthquake and tsunami has risen to 3,373, police tell NHK television. In Miyagi prefecture, 1,619 deaths have been confirmed, and 2,011 people remain unaccounted for. In the town of Minamisanriku, about 1,000 bodies have been discovered. Another 8,000 people, or nearly half the town's population, are missing. Police have found several hundred bodies on the beaches of the Oshika peninsula. Iwate prefecture has 1,193 confirmed deaths, including 373 deaths from the cities of Rikuzentakata and Ofunato. Fukushima prefecture has meanwhile reported 506. More than 7,000 people remain unaccounted for.

2343: NHK also says more than 440,000 people are currently living in 2,400 evacuation shelters in north-eastern and central prefectures. Some shelters have yet to receive food and water and other essential supplies, it adds.

[somethingfunny]

I'm concerned that search and rescue operations in Fukushima Prefecture have been scaled back because of the radiation leaks and trapped survivors are bleeding, starving, or freezing to death as a result. I have seen ZERO news reports from the devastation in that area.

[Brent]

Stunning developments tonight per CNN

BreakingNews: Workers suspend operations, told to evacuate after radiation levels rise at stricken Japan nuclear plant - NYT http://nyti.ms/e4IcA4

[Crostorm]

MAP 6.0 2011/03/16 03:52:05 35.795 140.804 25.0 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN

[Crostorm]

BREAKING NEWS: No fear of tsunami from latest quake that hit Kanto region (12:57)
BREAKING NEWS: Strong tremors felt in Kanto region shortly before 1 p.m. (12:55)

[Macrocane]

I hope that the frequency of the aftershocks diminishes, I have been in 2 major earthquakes and it is very scary to have aftershocks day after day after day, and I can only imagine how bad it must be to have aftershocks plus the radiation threat. Thanks to all the members that post updates on this thread, sometimes it's easier to read them here than to find them on TV.

[Crostorm]

White smoke from the vicinity of the first nuclear power plant Unit 3 = Fukushima
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20110 ... i.view-000

[Crostorm]

http://www.ustwrap.info/multi/tbstv::yo ... k-world-tv

Live stream tbs/yokosonews/nhk-world-english

[Chacor]

A rise in radiation levels at Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant has forced workers to suspend operations, a government spokesman says.

He was speaking after smoke was seen rising from reactor three. Earlier, a blaze struck reactor four for the second time in two days.

Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami, which killed thousands, damaged the plant's cooling functions.

The site has also been hit by four explosions, triggering radiation leaks.

France has urged its nationals living in Tokyo to leave the country or head to southern Japan because of the risk of radiation.

[Chacor]

The BBC is reporting that scientists have suggested that the tsunami may have been a 1,000-year event. The last such wave hit Sendai in 869.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12740649

[Chacor]

#
0349: Japan says it is ready to ask the US military for help in battling the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant, the AFP news agency reports.

[Crostorm]

http://www.targetmap.com/viewer.aspx?reportId=4870

live radiation map of japan

[Chacor]

The JMA has a page dedicated to the quake: http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/2011_Earthquake.html

[SaskatchewanScreamer]

Gaia's Jigoku (Mother Earth's Hell): http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/ ... itn?hpt=C2

edited to change link (original link, that keeps changing, showed rescuers working in about a foot of snow).

[angelwing]

SkyNewsBreak Sky News Newsdesk
Kyodo News Agency: Mayor says 10,000 people missing in Japanese city of Ishinomaki.